Page 85 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

“The tone plates?” Alex stood. It wasn’t that the marimba was overly sentimental as far as equipment went. And now he could afford a new one if it was permanently damaged. But it was out for the evening’s show. “Let’s get them up to my room, the whole thing, and see if we can get them drying.”

When Ed managed to secure the first room, Alex was given the key, and within minutes, he and Zoe faced the bags filled with wet equipment. “I should have replaced the bags as soon as I got the cash,” Alex said. “But they travelled all those years in Luke’s van, and we never had a problem. At least now I know they aren’t waterproof.”

“Poor, baby,” Zoe said, but Alex laughed when he realised she was talking to the marimba and not him.

“Do you want to start on the legs, and I’ll take the frame?” he asked. When she didn’t move, he stood and walked over to her. “Or you could just relax, go see Cerys, take a walk. I don’t want this to be traumatic for you.”

Zoe looked at the bags and sighed. “It’s just a piece of equipment, right?”

Alex nodded. “It is.”

“Let’s just get it done. I hate the idea she’s sitting in soggy bags.”

“It’s a she?”

“Definitely. Only a goddess could make this kind of music.”

“Fine. It’s a she. Let’s get on with it.”

Zoe grabbed two towels from the bathroom. “To wipe away any obvious moisture.”

“Good idea. Maybe we should set it up by the window.”

Between the two of them, they made light work of connecting the braces to the crossbar. They then placed the curved brace into the legs, assembling the basis of the frame, and joined the two halves together. Zoe placed the keyboard frame on the treble end, while he secured the frame to the bass end. He liked the efficient way she worked. And he could add it to the obscure list of things that turned him on, because watching Zoe’s lithe fingers tighten the knobs was bizarrely sensual.

They secured each rail to the frame, until everything was locked into place.

“Is there water in the resonators?” she asked as he pulled the accidental bass section out of its case.

“Doesn’t look like it. But I guess it’ll just run out of the bottom if there is.” Alex handed the bass section to her to drop into place, and he got to his knees to secure the reinforcing brace. “I’ve installed the tuning cap too.”

One by one, they installed the remaining resonators and braces until they were ready to install the tone bars. Meticulously, they worked their way along, wiping the tone bars, which seemed to have spent most of the time in water, and positioning them between their posts.

“They feel damp to the touch,” Zoe said, her words filled with worry. “I think we should lower the temperature in the room just a touch. You don’t want them to dry out too fast and crack and warp. Maybe open the window. Crap. These windows don’t open properly. Maybe I should call down to the front desk and see if they can give us a room with—”

“It’ll be okay,” he said, taking hold of her hands.

“I feel sorry for her.”

“I know.” He tugged her to his chest, resisting the urge to tell her to play her to see if she sounded okay. Right now, when she was so worried about the instrument, he could probably place the suggestion.

But he wouldn’t.

It needed to be entirely her idea to pick them up and play. He didn’t care one way or another, beyond it hurting to see her so torn.

“Want to take a shower with me before I head out to the soundcheck?”

“You know how much I love showering with you, but I think I’m going to go down to the front desk and get some more towels. Maybe even some flannels. Perhaps double-check there’s no condensation in the resonators.”

“What if I told you I got turned on watching you assemble it?”

“Really?”

“Your hands gripping knobs. I know. It’s juvenile. But here we are.”

She glanced down at his jeans, then turned to face the marimba, and Alex burst out laughing. “You’re genuinely torn.”

“Stop,” Zoe groaned. “It’s not fair. If you were sick, I’d take care of you.”

---